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Sina Clan
The Sina Clan is an ethnic group living mostly on Selea and Pandora. They speak a dialect of either Selean or Pandoran, depending on where they live. These dialects has over 6 million speakers in total. Demographics Members of the Sina can belong to any of the Materian races. Social Structure Wavwen The term wavwe means people in the Sina language and is used to describe a large branch of the Sina Clan. Each wavwe can number in the millions. The 4 wavwen are: *Kjare *Opania *Rikja *Sotme Each wavwe has its own unique traditions. Jiran The jira is the term assigned to the tribe. This is a subset of the wavwe. The jira generally has less than 1,000 people. Each jira engages in trade with other jira. Cheran A chera is essentially a family within the jira. This includes any related members. The chera applies only to members related back to the fifth generation back of a child. This means 4th cousins fall under this heading. History Origin Sina records date back to the 6th century BA, so the exact origins of the Sina are unknown. Linguistic evidence points to a Pandoran origin. Scientists suspect that the ancestors of the Sina crossed from Pandora to Selea via the Seras Isthmus around 7,000 BA. Early Records The first records of the Sina Clan originate from Akramian hieroglyphs dating back to 3,700 BA. The Sina were described as a group of nomadic hunters much more primitive than the Akramians. Selea Settlement Archeological evidence points to an early Sina settlement on the southern coast of Selea. This settlement dates to 6,800 BA and had a population of at least 7,000 people. The Sina expanded into the Akram Empire in 3,900 BA, and they had reached the north coast of Selea by 2,000 BA. Prosecutions The Sina were one of the prime targets of the Purist racial purity programs. It is estimated that 4.5 million Sina were killed in the name of racial purity. This comprised approximately 70% of the Sina population at the time. The Lios Federation have long treated the Sina as illegal immigrants. Under Lios laws, any Sina without proper documentation was immediately judged guilty of illegal immigration and espionage and executed on the spot. Over the history of the Lios Federation, these laws have accounted for nearly 25 million dead. Modern History The Sina have retained most of their traditions as they adopted many new technologies emerging in the Selea Republic. Society and Culture Names Members of the Sina Clan use two names, the urasa and the erasa. The urasa is the private name, known only to members of the chera and is binomial in nature. This enables differentiation between members of the same first name. The erasa is the public name and used for identification in the larger jira. It is trinomial in nature. The first name is the individual given name and is chosen by the individual themselves. The second is the name given by the parents, and the third is the name of the chera of the individual. Family The Sina are mostly patriarchal people, but women are not restricted in their political possibilities. Birth The Sina have several traditions regarding childbirth. Childbirth itself is considered impure and must occur away from the central settlement. The mother is considered impure for at least 60 days, and both mother and child must remain in the birthing building for that period. During pregnancy, the mother creates a reai for the child. These reai are unique to each child and kept throughout the child's life. Marriage Numerous laws govern marriages between Sina members. *Members of the same chera cannot get married. *Both bride and groom must be of adult age (18) before they can marry. The entire chera takes part in the marriage ceremony. The bride and groom exchange reai after a marriage bead is attached. Both bride and groom build their own tent to live in. Death Death is seen as impure in Sina society, and the family of the deceased is also considered impure for a period of 90 days after the death. The reai of the deceased is either burned with the body or given to non-Sina people. The body must be burned on the 4th day after death. Religion The Sina worship a smaller pantheon of the Selean polytheistic religion. Most of these deities focus on the sun, sky, water, wind, and earth. The Sina create ring-shaped fera as mobile shrines for these deities. Music The Sina use the roilan, a 12-string instrument, to create music. Most songs focus on travels and legends. The most famous Sina song is The Ballad of Lost Love. Dress Sina dress is very practical. Women wear dress-like outfits with numerous pockets while men wear loose pants and shirts that are able to conceal a large variety of weapons. Most children wear a smaller version of the female outfit. Hairstyles Both men and women allow their hair to grow out. These braids are used to show status within the jira. The influence of the braids sometimes extends into the realm of wavwe, such as jira leaders and traveling merchants. This influence is portrayed by various beads, ribbons, and feathers woven into it. Language The Sina language is more closely related to the Pandoran language than the Selean language, but contains several Selean elements. It originated in northern Pandora and moved across to southern Selea with the Sina emigration. Category:Materia